Juventus Player Federico Gatti Injured As Fan Slide Tackles Him During Pitch Invasion

Juventus defender Federico Gatti was preparing to start the club’s season opener in Serie A this weekend, but will now likely miss the match after a bizarre incident. Fans invaded the pitch during the team’s annual friendly against the youth squad, and one slid into the back of Gatti.

The injury occurred at halftime during the friendly between the senior squad and Juventus Next Gen. As Gatti remained on the pitch to acknowledge supporters, multiple fans breached security barriers and ran onto the grass.

One supporter lost balance while attempting to decelerate, sliding into Gatti from behind and knocking the defender to the turf. Gatti limped off the field and was subsequently held out of team training sessions as a precautionary measure.

Bizarre Incident Captured On Camera

The incident was captured on camera and widely circulated on social media as soccer fans aeround the world watched in disbelief.

This is crazy 😭

Federico Gatti could miss Juventus’ first game of the season after a fan accidentally tackled him from behind during a pitch invasion in a friendly this week.

You genuinely can’t make this up.

📰 CorSport pic.twitter.com/of29ha91zv

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) August 19, 2026

The annual match between the senior team and youth side at the club’s home venue traditionally concludes with a festive pitch invasion by supporters. However, the crowd rushed the pitch prematurely at the half-time whistle rather than the end of the match.

The incident has prompted discussions within Juventus leadership regarding security protocols and the format of future pre-season showcase events, which aim to maintain fan interaction while safeguarding player health.

Other Fan Invasions Lead To Jail Time

In this case, the fan did not deliberately attack Gatti, but appeared to lose his footing and could not prevent himself from colliding with the player. It is far from the scenes we witnessed on the pitch after the World Cup final, which could see Argentine player Leandro Paredes face charges.

On that occasion, Paredes took exception to Spain’s sqaud rushing the field of play in celebration. In other incidents, fans have invaded the pitch to confront players.

In 2019, an Arsenal supporter rushed the pitch following a penalty against Manchester United and shoved defender Chris Smalling. The individual was subsequently arrested and faced legal penalties for assault.

In the same year, Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was also struck from behind by a spectator who invaded the playing surface during a match against Birmingham City. The perpetrator received a jail sentence and a lifetime stadium ban.